"That would prove problematic."
Davis nodded. The combat power analysis of Black Mamba was no joking matter. If they employed the Seahawk that cost the same as 10 Little Birds and Mu Ssang struck it down, they would be mocked for years to come.
"Air strikes cannot touch Black Mamba. We should employ multiple low-altitude helicopters and A-10s to overwhelm and capture him."
"We need an air squad if we don't want to lose him again. The only remaining helicopters in the camp are four Little Birds and one Chinook."
Singleton and Dyson on-screen insisted on using the air forces. That had to be so. Realistically, they couldn't deploy a mass armored force in the jungle.
"Should I call in the Fifth Squadron?" said Davis in his mind.
Davis had a headache. He needed the President's authorization if he were to mobilize the CVBG. It was too much of a risk.
"We have an air maintenance squadron in our base in Kenya," Robinson said.
"Do we have some offensive helicopters we can use?"
"Six MH-6s are to return to Kuwait after getting their windows repaired."
"Good. Get them here as soon as possible."
Davis was delighted. With three teams of helicopters, they could chase him all day long.
"How far has the land trackers advanced?"
Robinson drew two circles each with a radius of 50 kilometers and 100 kilometers. When the circles were zoomed in, jagged rocky mountains and dark lowlands were revealed. Overall, it was a terrain with a great variance in altitude.
"We are 15 kilometers northwest of Kidumb. The northwestern highlands of Ituri are referred to as a super drift zone. A very harsh terrain. The lowlands are crisscrossed by spiderweb-like tributaries and scattered with mangrove forests. Land tracking is not feasible."
"Black Mamba must be slowed down there, right?"
"The situation has worsened. He is defter than a basilisk on the surface of the water. He must have gotten 100 kilometers farther away."
"Northwest... Is he headed for Kisangani?"
"Kisangani is the only airport in East Africa with long-haul flights. Considering the direction he went, he will soon enter the Bunyakiri valley. The Bunyakiri valley leads to Nbundu which is at the doorstep of Kisangani. He will likely move along the corridor."
"You make sense. Robinson, deploy the Black Eye and Pegasus in Kidumb and Kisangani. Mobilize them with the helicopters."
"Yes, sir!"
"Michell, deploy the ground unit Marasu and MLRS in Bunyakiri. Mobilize the flying unit Verriere and Oeilet."
"Aye!"
"Dyson, he is the main enemy of the United States and an obstacle that is blocking the progress of our organization. If we don't remove him, he will keep hindering our operations. You must get him."
"Semper Fi! We will not let him escape this time," Dyson said resolutely.
If Lamartin didn't move, there must be a reason. They needed to utilize all of their forces, otherwise, they were going to end up like McKinley.
* * *
Unlike Davis's prediction, Black Mamba was wandering an area 20 kilometers north of Kidumb. Trying to avoid the endless vertical rift face and swamp, he lost sight of the road and couldn't tell where the north was.
"We are in a pickle!"
Sun Woo-hyun held the GPS and looked up at the majestic waterfall blocking their path with an expression of consternation. They had pushed through with their Humvee and now, they had nowhere to go. Other than their longitude and latitude, they had no data. The dark had fallen and they were locked up in a green sea where only the roars of beasts and the singing of birds were heard.
"Where are we, Lackey?"
Black Mamba was awakened. Zulu ran up to him with a wet towel immediately. Black Mamba wiped his face half-heartedly and looked around.
"There is no data. If we calculate our coordinates with the longitude and latitude, we are 52 kilometers northwest of Bukavu."
"We are still within the range of ATACMS but at least, we are out of the MLRS's range. You should fall back with Zulu."
"What are you going to do?"
Sun Woo-hyun was worried. The Americans were not easy opponents. Even though they had suffered because of the difference in power, if they went on a full offensive, even Black Mamba would find it hard to handle. But if they stayed with him, they were only going to be a liability.
"We should smash their camp and retrieve Oparts."
"Revenge should be repaid a hundredfold. Are you going to eradicate them?"
"Not just revenge. Freemasonry has complete control of the military industry, oil, and grain cartel in the United States and Europe. As long as their leaders stay intact, the world will suffer from needless wars, high oil prices, and famine. I am not a superhero that protects the planet, but I cannot allow someone that threatens my country and family to roam freely. They must feel the same. I must be a thorn in their toe. A rough battle will occur now."
"Call in Garuda."
"A volcano erupted in the Bachilkile valley. You must have seen the scene."
"Lava and volcanic ash covered 50 kilometers around. Voodoo fanatics and Prolinat guerillas were buried under lava. They received their comeuppance."
"Garuda is responsible for that."
"Huh?"
Sun Woo-hyun yelped. He was aware that Garuda was a tremendous being, but was it really capable of penetrating the crust of Earth?
"That's phenomenal. What's there to wait for? Let's destroy the American imperialists."
Sun Woo-hyun was excited.
"The Great Rift Valley is an unstable region where the crust cracks routinely. Underneath the thinned crust, lava is boiling. Massive amounts of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide have accumulated underneath the bottom of the great lake and wet sand made along the rift. Are you telling me, we should bring about a catastrophe just to kill some bedbugs?"
Mu Ssang shook his head. The Odam Allied Forces were to be eradicated, but thousands of innocent indigenous people would also be sacrificed. The incident still bothered him. Garuda's photon cannon were as destructive as an atomic bomb. If the same thing happened in East Africa with its unstable crust and dense population, it would be a disaster incomparable to Ennedi.
"Why aren't you calling Dimanche, Dino, and Samdi here? You should right away."
Sun Woo-hyun couldn't understand why Black Mamba refrained from using such strong allies and struggled alone.
"It's because of the Predators. Kkamdung and others should protect Novatopia and my family. If they and their loyal henchmen weren't there, who would protect my family and citizens?"
"Aye."
Sun Woo-hyun didn't like his answer but could only nod. Black Mamba was the angel of death and merciful Dubaiburupa.
"There are two escape paths. If we keep going west, we will get to the French embassy in Kinshasa. If we go north, the Foreign Legion in Djibouti. If we choose the latter, we have to go 3,000 kilometers on a road. If we choose the first, we should walk 1,800 kilometers through the jungle."
Sun Woo-hyun deliberated with a 1:7,500 military map in front of him. The Humvee was sufficiently strong. They had loaded six 10-gallon spare fuel tanks. The problem was not the fuel but the road. The belligerent, vengeful Americans must be watching the roads across the jungle.
"It should take three months until we get to Kinshasa. I even miss the Sahel."
Sun Woo-hyun sighed. Without Wakil's help, he had three choices. Walk, call in a helicopter, or give up. The vehicle could run fine in the desert but that was not possible in the Ituri jungle.
No vehicle could ever go through a jungle full of tall cliffs, spiderweb-like tributaries, swamps, and rough bushes covered with hardy parasitic vines. Moreover, the creatures of the jungle would attack. The right choice was the helicopter.
Sun Woo-hyun held the satellite phone and hesitated. He was worried about hackers. But he needed to use it to figure out their escape.
"Lackey, more thinking wouldn't help you. They are aware of our approximate location. Don't worry about me and use it quickly."
"Aye."
He didn't like it but he had no choice. He unfolded the satellite antenna and connected a black box to the transmitter. When he pressed the red button, the red lamp flickered. The coded message was ready. Black Mamba pressed "1" and transmitted the message.
"2-33-16-38, 28-36-23-69"
He repeated the message twice and pressed the "transmit" button. The rest was now up to the decoder that had something to do with the photon polarization matrix and Bonipas.
"Let's meet again at Lake Yoa."
"Take care, Wakil."
Sun Woo-hyun and Zulu ran toward Kalika which was 32 kilometers away. They couldn't rest at night. If they didn't get to the coded location in time, they were going to be in serious trouble.
* * *
The DGSE Headquarters, Paris.
The coded message was relayed to the head of operations, Valvoue, by Mekisi, the director of intelligence from the Middle East and Africa.
"Sir, it's Black Mamba."
"Where is he?"
Bonipas stood abruptly. He was feeling uneasy after Mu Ssang went missing. Americans destroyed Bukavu and the Foreign Legion and made it rain with the MLRS and ATACMS. He no longer could contact Ariba whom he trusted.
"We don't know from where it was sent, but it says they are fine and two have escaped toward the embassy in Kinshasa. They requested a helicopter and weapons. The coordinates are 73 kilometers southeast of Bunyakiri.
"Mu Ssang is requesting weapons?" Bonipas wondered.
Why was Mu Ssang fleeing to an embassy and requesting weapons?
"Ha! It is so."
He was relieved to know that Lackey and Zulu were fleeing, not Mu Ssang. The situation must be grim if the superhuman Lackey needed to get out of there. Bonipas looked at Valvoue.
"We can deploy the 13 Air Force Air Squadron stationed in Djibouti. I am also giving you the right to operate the Navy stationed in Gabon."
"What if we clash with Americans?"
"That should be the least of our concerns when we risk losing the national treasure to them. According to Ariba's report, the Americans waged five billion dollars to get Mu Ssang. They would even wage ten billion dollars if they could get Mu Ssang to side with them.
"Five billion dollars? Hahaha!"
Bonipas giggled. Mu Ssang was worth more than 20 billion dollars, including bonds and cash. He never cared for money anyway and if five billion dollars could tempt Dubaiburupa, they were going to change his surname.
"That's a great sum. I would be tempted."
"But you are not Black Mamba. Maybe the KGB will pay one million dollars."
Valvoue smirked.
"Well, once out of this chair, I am but a weak old man. The Americans are quite generous. I offered two billion francs. We should treat him better."
Bonipas regained his calm. Mu Ssang wouldn't sell Oparts to Americans for some money. Oparts was going to Novatopia anyway. The United States, France, and Korea had no say in it.
Bonipas picked up the red receiver. Mu Ssang had a special affection for people. He needed to get Lackey and Zulu out of there and prepare a stage where Mu Ssang could perform freely.
"I got permission from the Ministry of Defense. Send the helicopter right away. Send the 13 Foreign Regiment and the forces stationed in Gabon to Ituri. You shall command the operation yourself."
"I see. The Americans floated the Black Eye and deployed a fixed-orbit satellite on top of Keyhole and Dragon Lady. Is there anything we can do to help Mu Ssang?"
"The Americans are quite in it. We will have to wing it. Hurry."
Such a remark was out of his character. Valvoue wondered and exited the office.
"We have some measures. We will get told off later on though."
Bonipas grinned and picked up the receiver. When information and power worked hand in hand, there was a great synergy. This may cause inconvenience for Mu Ssang later on.
"Jin Soon, Bonipas here."
"Hello, Uncle!"
Jin Soon refrained from mentioning his name. Even though the line was immune to wiretapping, it was always better to be careful.
"It's a bit cloudy here."
"The stars won't be visible. What can we do?"
"Whoa!" Bonipas marveled.
The young woman understood the message and responded right away. She well deserved to be Mu Ssang's wife.
"A chicken has wings."
"All right. Take care."
"Thank you. This old man is always safe in a room."
Bonipas hung up and grinned. His master could flee but couldn't handle the high-altitude recon drones and the recon satellite outside the stratosphere. If Garuda could get rid of them, the MLRS would not be able to aim for the fast-moving Mu Ssang.
Bonipas figured out the situation well. And the situation unfurled in a different direction than Mu Ssang envisioned.
* * *
Yoa Palace, Jipoon Dari. In the back garden of the Garden of Water, a classy traditional Korean house stood picturesquely against the backdrop of the pond. It was the abode of the Eungsim-je family that Bonipas evacuated from Korea on an airplane.
A formless shadow rose from the front yard of the main building. The shadow materialized into a giant leopard. All kinds of animals and birds that frolicked in the garden fled.
"Why did you do that? You scared off my friends," Yeong-a complained.
Now, at age seven, she had grown much taller and her body that used to be starved with visible ribs was now fleshed-out and plump. For an old man, two years was a short time but for a growing child, it was like an eternity.
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